Kent Test Results - new data on Headteacher Assessments

I now have information on the outcome of Kent Headteacher Assessments (Headteacher Appeals) for the Kent Test taken in September. This enables me to update the table and information in the previous item as follows. The two items should be read together. ...........

Candidates in the selective areas of Kent are the ones who produce the required Kent Test statistics, target: 21% automatic passes rising to 25% after Headteacher Assessments (often called Headteacher Appeals). This is measured as a percentage of the whole age gropu in these areas. The automatic pass mark is selected to get as close to the target as possible, the outcome being 20.1% automatic passes in 2011. This was achieved by choosing an aggregate of 360 with all scores above 119 as the pass standard in the test.

Headteacher assessments (HTAs) for the Kent selective areas, following recommendations from primary headteachers, add an additional 5.6% of children, to give a total of 25.3% assessed as being of grammar school standard. As I forecast in my original article the tougher requirement in mathematics was to the advantage of boys, seeing 126 more boys than girls go through on automatic passes. However, as is the norm, once again girls came out on top in the HTAs (some cynics would say its the neat girls' work syndrome!) producing very similar totals overall.

The proportion of Kent out of area children who were successful in the HTA assessment was similar to that in area, suggesting that primary headteachers living outside the selective areas are generally as supportive of grammar schools as their colleagues in area.